Man Sentenced for Killing Woman While High

A Douglas County judge sentenced a Castle Rock man for a crash that killed a woman while he was high on marijuana.

Francisco Sanchez, 20, was sentenced to eight years in prison for hitting Amanda Hill, 24, head-on as she was driving north of Castle Rock on June 5, 2018. The accident ultimately involved four vehicles on Crowfoot Valley Road.

At the time, Sanchez told investigators he hadn’t been doing drugs or drinking alcohol; however, he tested positive for low levels of THC, the psychoactive ingredient in marijuana.

Douglas County District Court Judge Theresa Slade imposed the harshest sentence possible, under the terms of Sanchez’ plea agreement. Sanchez had pleaded guilty to one count of vehicular homicide, one count of vehicular assault and one count of driving while ability impaired.

“We have to live the rest of our lives without our beautiful daughter. This senseless act will cause us pain and suffering for the rest of our lives,” said her father, Ed Hill.

18th Judicial District Attorney George Brauchler criticized current Colorado law, pertaining to those who choose to drive while impaired.

“When it comes to making drivers incapable of operating motor vehicles safely on our roads, marijuana once again proves it is just as deadly as alcohol. Here, another innocent life was snuffed out by someone who picked getting high on marijuana over his responsibility as a driver,” said Brauchler. “It is unfortunate and unnecessary that Colorado’s weak laws do not promise a tougher penalty for impaired drivers who kill our innocent neighbors.”